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  WHEN LOVE IS NEAR BUT THE HEART IS FAR: HOW WE HINDER OURSELVES FROM GOD’S LOVE By Otun Stephen Gbenga | Philosopher & Theologian God’s love is one of the most comforting truths in Scripture. It is vast, unchanging, and eternal. The psalmist declares,  “His steadfast love endures forever.”  Paul proclaims that nothing can separate us from that love. Yet, as comforting as this truth is, many believers still find themselves living as though God’s love is distant, blocked, or withheld. This raises an honest and necessary question: If God loves us so deeply, are there ways we can hinder ourselves from enjoying that love? The answer is  yes —not because God withdraws His love, but because  we sometimes step out of alignment with the light He freely shines on us . The sun does not stop shining simply because someone hides in the shadows. In the same way, God’s love remains constant, but our choices can cloud our hearts from receiving its warmth. In this devotion...

  Forgiven, But Not Unscathed Why God’s Mercy Doesn’t Always Erase Sin’s Wounds The Scar That Stays After the Wound Heals “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But...”  2 Samuel 12:13-14 But. That one word splits heaven from earth. David had just heard the sweetest news a guilty man can hear:  Taken away . Pardoned. The prophet Nathan didn’t stutter. God forgave. Yet the next breath carried weight:  But the son born to you will die . Wait. Forgiven, yet a crib turns into a coffin? This is where we squirm. We want forgiveness to be a reset button. Click, and everything goes back to how it was before we touched Bathsheba, before we lied, before we clicked that link. Grace should be bleach. It should lift the stain and the smell. But sometimes God washes the guilt and leaves the scar. David buried a baby. Then watched Amnon rape Tamar. Then watched Absalom kill Amnon. Then watched Absalom’s hair tangle in an oak while Joab’s spear found his heart....